The Truth about Lying
by Marinademix
Summary: After she ran away from her past, she had tried desperately to move on. When she is unwillingly forced to face her past again, she must also face the people she left behind. Who knows what will happen? R&R! Please? [HGGW in later chapters]
1. Epilogue

**A/N: Okay, so this is my first attempt. It may not seem like much yet, but I'm working on it. There are an awful lot of ideas rushing through my mind, so I need to sort it out properly before I can actually write more (don't want to contradict myself). Anyway, I'd really appreciate it if you would review! Constructive criticism would be best, I can handle criticism (really!), but I'm human too ;-). Enjoy! (I hope!)**

**Oh, and if you haven't figured it out yet: it takes place approximately six years after Voldemort has been defeated. So yes, it is somewhat my view on how things will end. Not everything, but some of it…**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I'm not J.K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing her characters… and the plot is just my own crazy imagination. So no need to blame J.K. for that ;-)**

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****The Truth about Lying**

"But I can't pretend this is the way it will stay, I'm just trying to bend the truth. I can't pretend I'm who you want me to be, I'm just lying my way from you."

(adapted from 'Lying from You', by Linkin' Park )

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****Prologue**

_It's my fault. It's all my fault. I should've gone with them. They left me behind. Why did they have to go without me? I was a part of the pact! I followed them everywhere and they followed me everywhere. We were there for each other. Why did they have to go without me? Go where I couldn't follow? Damn it. Damn it! _

She turned on her stereo louder, music filling the entire room. As she let the melodies take over her mind completely, she fell down on her bed. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to give in.

_No! I shall not cry! Crying won't bring them any closer! I will not become a big cry-baby, so pull yourself together. Nobody likes cry-babies. They wouldn't want you to cry either. So stop lying around and get a grip of yourself._

She quickly got up and brushed away any tears that were about to roll down her face.

_Okay, so now what? Right! Get your stuff together and leave this instant! There's no point in being here anyway…_

_(but I like it here)_

_So what? Staying will only remind you of what was. Not of what can be._

_(but what if I want to be reminded of what was?)_

_No you don't. You just said you didn't want to be a cry-baby. Staying here will make you one! Am I right or am I right?_

_(You're right)_

_Just like I said. So get your stuff together and leave._

_(But what will the rest say? They have to face the same and none of them are leaving…)_

_Shut up. They have each other. You have no one. Face it, they wouldn't want you around either. You'd only remind them of what was as well. I'm sure they want to move on as well!_

_(…) _

_Just like I thought. So start moving missy!_

It didn't take long for her to grab her belongings. It was not like she had that much to take with her anyway. Just the basics.

_(should I leave a note?)_

_Whatever…_

_(Yes, I should.)_

She quickly ran to her desk and squibled something on a piece of parchment. With a small sigh she grabbed her trunk and left her room.

"Goodbye, old me. Say 'hello' to the new you!"


	2. A Fresh Start

**Chapter One: A Fresh Start**

"Jane? Sweetie?"

Alicia tried to make her way through the apartment. The floor was still covered with boxes and clothes she had tried to sort out the day before. She would've been able to finish it completely, hadn't it been for her housemate. She had brought home a bottle of Martini, chocolate and some films yesterday evening, and in stead of finishing what Alicia had started, she and Jane had decided to have a girl's night in instead. She was quite angry at herself for letting Jane convince her. Jane was always able to persuade her to do anything.

"Jane? You should really get out of bed now… it's almost noon…"

Alicia knocked on Jane's door again, and when she heard a small growl, she opened the door.

"Good morning, Sunshine!"

"Shut up, Alicia..."

Jane moaned as she turned in her bed and covered herself with the sheets again.

_Oh no, you don't_. Alicia quickly walked to the window and opened the curtains in one swift motion. Bright sunlight burst into the room, making Alicia blink as well. _That should get her up and running_.

"Alicia!"

Jane curled into a little ball, covered her face with her arms and tried to ignore the bright sunlight, hoping either the sun or Alicia would give up.

"Come on, Vampirella, time to get things ready!"

Jane growled one more time, but knowing that Alicia would not give up until she'd gotten her out of her bed, she decided to sit up straight and look Alicia into the eye.

"Why are you doing this to me again?"

"Because we're going shopping today, silly! Don't want all the good stuff to be gone just because little miss 'I-am-not-a-morning-person' refused to wake up!"

Jane sighed deeply, after which she placed her bare feet on the floor. The cold floor made her shiver. _Woke me up at least_.

"Just give me a minute. I don't think you want to be spotted in public with a little miss 'I-smell-because-my-best-friend-wasn't-patient-enough', do you?"

Alicia gave Jane a smile.

"Don't take too long, okay? I told Jasper I would have dinner with him tonight, and I need to find the perfect outfit."

Jane made her way to the bathroom. The hot water from the shower allowed her to wake up a little bit and clear her mind. As she left the shower, she wrapped her body with a big, fluffy towel. She sighed once more and gave herself a quick inspection in the bathroom mirror. Every single part of her face appeared to be okay. She turned around a little in order to inspect her back. _Damn those scars. _She let her hand rest on her biggest scar, which ran from her lower right shoulder till her upper left shoulder. It looked like someone had given her a beating with a whip.

Even though the whip-like scar wasn't the only one that covered her back (and various other parts of her body), it was the eeriest one. Every year, on the same day the scar was imposed on her, she would feel the excruciating sting she had originally felt. The sting had lessened throughout the years, but it remained a painful spot and a painful memory. _Six years_._ Six bloody years_… _What happened to you, girl?_

She had spent the last six years of her life running away from her past and the bad memories that lingered there. As soon as she had left Britain for the US, she got rid of her British accent and her characteristic looks. She had cut and dyed her hair, updated her wardrobe and got rid of most artifacts that had reminded her of her past. One of the few thing that she had clung to was an apparent insignificant piece of wood, worn out and scorched. She could've never gotten rid of her wand, just like she could've never gotten rid of a tiny locket that she still wore, every single day. It resembled a cross, only the top of the cross was not straight, but slightly oval. This ankh, and Egyptian sign of immortality (amongst others) was a gift from an old friend. She fiddled around with the locket. _So much for immortality_…_this charm couldn't protect_ _him_.

Her thoughts wanted to drift away to her past, but she got a grip of herself. _Dwelling in the past won't do you any good_._ Now get yourself together and get dressed_. She gave herself a final inspection in the bathroom mirror, and then made her way to her closet. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a polo-sweater that accentuated her curves, and grabbed her favorite pair of heels. After she had hosed herself into her outfit, she put on some make-up and tried to tame her short curls. _Thank god I still have the right skills to make these potions_. She was finally pleased with her appearance and decided that she was ready to go. She closed her bedroom door and saw that Alicia was already waiting for her.

"C'mon, Janie! Let's go shopping!"

Jane let herself be dragged out of the apartment, and closed the door behind them. Alicia's enthusiasm had always amazed her. It was exactly this enthusiasm and love for life that helped her get over everything she had been through. She thought she had gotten over it, at least. When they were both standing outside the apartment complex, and were almost run over by the massive crowd of shop-a-holics, Jane touched her locket one more time, as if to reassure herself. Alicia had already started her shop-marathon, and called Jane's name in order to get her attention. _Jane, yes, that's me_._ I'm no longer the old me_._ Hermione Granger is dead_.


	3. The Microwave is my Best Friend

**A/N: Okay, it's an update, but it's still not much yet. Let's just say I'm getting into my story and the characters right now... and it might just be a little strange if I start rushing into things... like the pairing I promised. Don't despair, the fun stuff will happen. Oh, and I had to adapt the genre, 'cos I realized that this story would contain quite some drama as well... Anyway, please be patient, and I can understand hardly anyone wants to comment, since there isn't too much to comment on anyway. The stats on my story hits are nice to watch though! Okay, I'm talking bullocks right now, so I'll just shut up... for now insert evil grin here**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own JK's characters, only the plot and, in this case, Alicia. Just so you know!**

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**Chapter 3: The Microwave is my Best Friend!**

Shopping with Alicia was like a full exercise on its own. She had been dragged from store to store (mainly clothes, shoes and accessory-stores) and it had completely worn her out. _Geez…it should be turned into an Olympic sport. Alicia would hold the world record, that's for sure_… Glad to be back into her apartment, Jane fell down on the couch straight away. She had dropped her shopping bags on the floor in one swift motion right before that, and Alicia followed her example (even though she wasn't nearly as exhausted as her housemate). They sat still for a while, Jane just sitting there, completely passed out, and Alicia dreaming about all the new stuff she had just bought. Alicia slowly turned her head to her housemate, seeing that she still had her eyes closed and was breathing heavily.

"Are you dead yet?"

Alicia couldn't help but grin. It was like tradition. Every single time they went shopping, Jane would be lying on the couch afterwards, passed out and not in the mood for anything. She asked the same question every single time, and always received the same answer.

"Unfortunately not."

Alicia saw that Jane had to smile a little. She poked her friend in her side and Jane growled, slightly irritated.

"Haven't you put me through enough torment already?"

Alicia's eyes twinkled.

"Oh, shut up, you big baby! I'm just helping…"

"Helping who? Not me, that's for sure…"

Again, Alicia had that twinkle in her eyes.

"C'mon, lazy-ass. You have to help me look pretty for Jasper…"

Too tired to argue, Jane got up and walked to her bedroom. With a massive smile on her face, Alicia followed her quickly, grabbing the shopping bags that had her 'perfect outfit' in it. She quickly put the outfit on, careful not to wrinkle it, and then sat down patiently in front of Jane's dresser.

"Work your magic!"

Jane grinned. Ever since Alicia found out she was a witch, she had been teasing her with this little jokes. Not that it mattered of course, Alicia had promised not to tell anyone and thusfar she had managed to keep it quiet. It was actually quite nice, sharing this big secret and hiding it from the meddling eyes of the neighbors. Alicia never fully understood why Jane wanted to keep it a secret (after all: magic is a wonderful thing, she had to resist asking Jane if she would simply _magically_ do the dishes, in stead of her doing it by hand), but she also respected her decision. She figured it probably had something to do with her past and that Jane had some sort of 'trust-issues'. It took Alicia months, if not years, before the young woman had finally opened up to her.

Jane was digging around in her dresser, trying to find a particular bottle. After she had found it, she quickly started to work on Alicia's hair. The potion she was using was particularly good for giving hair that 'silky smooth glow, without being greasy'. She fixed Alicia's hair in a sexy, playful bun, leaving some threads of hair still sticking out and positioning them slightly over the girl's shoulder. Another potion made sure that her hair would remain well taken care of the entire evening (not even a hurricane could've altered it). Alicia was positively beaming. She'd always loved to be in the centre of attention, just having to sit on a chair and letting other people take care of you.

After the make-up was placed on her face as well (just the right amount, enough to show that she actually had thought about her appearance and not too much to look like a freaky doll), Alicia eyed herself in the mirror. Grinning mischievously, she reached out to another of her shopping bags and pulled out some new jewelry. She placed the necklace around her neck, the droplet pendant tactically placed near her cleavage and identical earrings dangling on either side of her face. Clearly pleased with the work Jane had pulled off, she stood up and made her way to the full length mirror, positioned in the corner of Jane's room.

"Jane-"

Jane was putting her bottles away, but hummed slightly, indicating that she had heard Alicia.

"You wouldn't just possibly know a little…spell or something? One that would make me even more attractive to Jasper?"

Jane couldn't help but laugh.

"Sweety, I've told you so many times before. I may be able to do magic, but I do not interfere with love-lives, especially not _yours_. Besides, you're pretty enough on your own anyway. You don't need my help to make Jasper drool all over you."

Jane threw Alicia a playful wink and Alicia gave up.

"Okey…it was worth a shot though…"

Jane smiled but didn't respond. In stead, she made her way to the kitchen and opened the fridge, hoping there would still be some leftovers. Right now, she was just way too lazy to cook. Luckily for her, the leftovers had decided to stay. She grabbed a plate and piled the food on top of it, placed the plate in the microwave and waited for her food to warm up. At the same time, Alicia came walking into the kitchen and noticed the plate of food in the microwave. With a face of pure disgust, she looked at Jane, as if trying to figure out what kind of alien had taken over her friend's body. Jane decided to ignore the look and eyed the clock that was hanging next to the door.

"What time were you supposed to meet Jasper, anyway?"

Alicia turned around to face the clock as well, realizing that she really had to go.

"Have fun!"

Jane told Alicia when she grabbed her purse and put on her coat.

"Don't wait up…"

Alicia threw Jane a meaningful wink and disappeared, leaving Jane standing alone next to a beeping microwave.


End file.
